Avatar Shares Mini Feature Movie – “Legend Of Avatar Country: A Metal Odyssey”


Theatrical Metallers Avatar have shared a new musical featurette inspired by their latest album Avatar Country (eOne Music), Legend Of Avatar Country A Metal Odyssey today. The featurette was originally crowdfunded on Kickstarter, where the goal was quickly met in only 90 minutes. Now available to the public at large via a YouTube premiere today, Legend Of Avatar Country: A Metal Odyssey marks the finale of the Avatar Country story for the band. Following their North American tour supporting BABYMETAL, Avatar has also shared that they’ve been in the studio working on a follow up to Avatar Country with producer Jay Ruston. This marks their first time recording in the US. A new album is expected later in 2020. Watch the video now!Continue reading


Amon Amarth Streams New Single – “Raven’s Flight”, New Album Due in May


Viking Metallers Amon Amarth has announced their new album Berserker, due on May 3rd via Nuclear Blast. The band just released the brutal new single, ‘Raven’s Flight’ Which you can hear below! The album is the first with new drummer Jocke Wallgren (October Tide). The disc was recorded at Sphere Studios in North Hollywood, California with producer Jay Ruston, who has previously worked with Anthrax, Steel Panther, Uriah Heep, and Stone Sour. Crank it up to 11 and listen to ‘Raven’s Flight’ right now! Continue reading


Kataklysm Shares New Single And Lyric Video, Meditations Album Due This June


Montréal melo-death legends Kataklysm has charted a course for a busy 2018 including a killer new album and massive amounts of gigs. Their new album Meditations is due out on June 1st via Nuclear Blast. The band just shared a new single, complete with a lyric video for the track ‘Guillotine’. Check it out! Continue reading


Kataklysm Announces More New Album Details


Kataklysm previously announced a new album for 2018, Meditations, due out on April 2018 via Nuclear Blast Records. Now they have named acclaimed Los Angeles based producer Jay Ruston (Anthrax, Stone Sour) to mix and master their new release. This is major news for the underground band to work with such a popular, up and coming producer.Continue reading


Anthrax – For All Kings


Anthrax - For All Kings ghostcultmag

In 2016, for the first time since the eighties, New York thrashers Anthrax find themselves with a genuine burden of expectancy being placed upon their shoulders. Not since John Bush joined in 1992 have the eyes of so many been fixed on the band.

The reason for this is all thanks to 2011’s Worship Music (Megaforce, Nuclear Blast). After the rather colourless Stomp 442 (Elektra/Warner) and its largely forgettable follow-up Volume 8 – The Threat is Real (Ignition), the band released the perennially underrated We’ve Come for You All (Sanctuary/Nuclear Blast). Although clearly superior to their previous couple of outings, its reception was still mixed and far from anything they had enjoyed during the 80s and the turn of the 90s.

However, when Worship Music landed, all that changed. Although possibly helped by a combination of expectancy levels being at an all time low due to more publicized unrest and personnel changes within the camp, as well as there being a gap of eight years between records, the 2011 “comeback” album helped itself no end by simply being one of the strongest records the band had released to date. All of a sudden, the messy upheavals and well documented hirings and firings were forgotten as fans were treated to one of the best Metal albums of the year. Worship Music was a roaring success.

So, having firmly re-established themselves with a critically lauded new album and almost constant touring, the band’s next trick had to be how to maintain that momentum from inside the studio again. A pretty mammoth task they just about succeed in achieving with latest album For All Kings (Megaforce).

Anthrax 2015 photo credit Jimmy Hubbard ghostcultmag

Anthrax, photo credit Jimmy Hubbard

After a restrained drum and cello introduction, a typically Anthrax riff takes over and opener ‘You Gotta Believe’ begins properly, hammering away at you until you can catch your breath during its quiet middle section, before it builds back up to a suitably big finish. I’m afraid that by the time vocalist Joey Belladonna belts out “your golden halo is burned and melted” during ‘Monster at the End’ it’s already all over for you as the chorus digs its claws in, almost physically forcing you to sing along, regardless of where you are and how many strange looks you may attract.

Initially led by Belladonna, the title track is simply a monster, with drummer Charlie Benante quickly taking centre stage, owning the song completely with one of his most confident performances in recent years. ‘Breathing Lightning’ and ‘Suzerain’ are big songs with big choruses, and the thrashy as hell ‘Evil Twin’ is as close to old school Anthrax as you could possibly wish for. ‘Blood Eagle Wings’ is a lengthy, but worthwhile eight minutes, and ‘Defend Avenge’ has an opening riff reminiscent of ‘Among the Living’ but is also the album’s first throwaway track, although it does contain a quality guitar solo and improves as it goes along. ‘All Of Them Thieves’ is another (slight) disappointment, but again features another great solo from new boy Jon Donais (Shadows Fall) and gets better towards the end.

Bassist Frank Bello takes control of the intro to ‘This Battle Chose Us’, an improvement on the previous two tracks, and proceedings are brought to an impressive close with a short, sharp burst from the satisfyingly speedy ‘Zero Tolerance’.

A couple of wobbles during the second half aside, ‘For All Kings’ is every bit the worthy successor to Worship Music, although there could be a question as to how much material (if indeed any) was salvaged from the studio at the end of those previous sessions, such are the distinct similarities between the two records in places.

Mainman Scott Ian might come in for a lot of (mostly anonymous, and online) flak when it comes to decisions within the band (his band to be fair), but whatever missteps he may or may not have made in the past, he’s certainly helped make sure the band have a firm footing both for now and a few years to come.

8.0/10

GARY ALCOCK

[amazon asin=B01979VPO4&template=iframe image1]


Sweet Motor Sister- Jim Wilson of Motor Sister


Motor Sister

Motor Sister

Within the parameters of Los Angeles, rock music often spawns in the most unlikeliest of places. For Motor Sister, it came together at a birthday party with five people performing music from a defunct band which was brought back to life. Their début album Ride is the result of the love of one band’s music that they felt more people needed to hear.

motor sister ride

Motor Sister is the somewhat alter ego of the long time Los Angeles based musician Jim Wilson’s band Mother Superior. The band called it quits in 2009, but the interest in their music from fans was still there. Then came Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian’s 50th birthday party at his home. Wilson explained how the whole scenario took place.

“When Scott started hassling me about the original idea, they made a poster that said Mother Superior and that’s what they sent out to their friends. We weren’t making a new band. We were having a party and having a good time. By using Mother Superior lives, it’s kind of saying we’re playing these songs and with a skeleton head on the flier.”

“Word got back via Neil Zlozower (veteran LA photographer). He did all of the old Van Halen and the Motley Crue album covers. He was at the party. He did two of the Mother Superior covers – the one on Triple X (2001’s Mother Superior) album and the Deep (1998 on Top Beat Records) album. When it came time to have the party, he was on the list. Neil had to be there. So he was the one who made the call to Metal Blade on the Monday morning after the party. He made the call on our behalf to Mike [Faley] from Metal Blade and talked about the party and seeing us. He hyped it up. So he dug further and approached us about making a record. There were some hardcore Mother Superior fans there. I’m not lying but there were some people tearing up because they hadn’t heard it for so long and joy was in the air. We finished the first song and the band looked at each other and laughed. Some people hadn’t experienced anything like it. They were emotional. A friend of ours had a list of every Mother Superior show she had been to, and she thinks she’s seen about 95% of every show from the earliest days. That’s how long she’s been following us. That kind of fan was really touched. We didn’t know where to begin. We just figured let’s just get together and do this. But when the Metal Blade thing came around, they asked Scott first. Scott said it’s all up to Jim if he wants to go back there or not.”

“I had such a good time and I had nothing but respect for Mother Superior. It’s been a little difficult with the old members… I’m sure they’re happy the music’s getting out again. We didn’t part as the greatest of friends. It’s hard to go to them and say ‘hey guys everything’s great.’ But it wasn’t me trying to form a new band. This kind of happened organically and the response is what’s keeping it going, and more so than anything it’s been the music. We can’t complain about that.”

motor sister advert band black_638

Their début album Ride was based on the set list of songs played at that party, and somewhat of a Mother Superior best of record. The band who performed then (Wilson, Ian, co-vocalist Pearl Aday, bassist Joey Vera and drummer John Tempesta) became the band who recorded the album, with producer Jay Ruston (Anthrax, Steel Panther) overseeing the recording sessions.

“I know the twelve songs that are on the album is the actual twelve song list that Scott came up with himself for his birthday party. So those are the ones that he came up with off the top of his head, and after he sent the email to myself, Johnny, Joey and Pearl saying these are the songs for the party, a week later he said ‘oh shit, I forgot ‘Rolling Boy Blues.’ I forgot ‘Five Star.’ We kept it at those original twelve. We did “Rolling Boy Blues” as the encore for the New York show. We are open to other ones. We are starting to write new songs as well. The album’s been done for six months now recording wise. We need to get the cover and the release schedule. It takes a little while for the label to get it all together. In that time, we’ve been talking about making another record with some original tunes too. So maybe the next album might be 75% all brand new and a couple that we left off.”

While the twelve songs chosen for the set list that evening were compiled by Ian, Wilson himself talked about songs left off that evening he may have also added.

“The one I was surprised that we didn’t pick was from our very first album (1993’s Right in a Row) called “The Wiggle.” It seemed like one of those rock songs and every time we play it someone would yell ‘The Wiggle!’. We always ended up playing it. It’s a good jam. We were so young. I was in my early 20s and barely had any beer in that time. It was many beers ago!”

Wilson shared how he first met Ian, which he knew was a Mother Superior fan from the early years.

“It was the Viper Room. It was around the Deep album in 1998,” he said, recalling that moment. “I do remember when we played and where the Club Lingerie was on Sunset Boulevard, and at one point it was taken over by John Bush (Armored Saint/ex-Anthrax vocalist) and some of the Armored Saint guys when John was in Anthrax. They sponsored the club. Scott was probably at that show because I remember meeting John Bush. I remember meeting Scott at the KNAC Anniversary show at the Palladium in 1999. It was Skid Row, Rollins Band and Anthrax played. I met Scott backstage.”

Ironically, Wilson shared a story about him nearly becoming a touring mate of Ian’s.

“I heard a rumor. I’ve never confirmed this with Scott before but Henry told me that when we were about to go on our first Rollins Band tour and according to Henry, Scott said ‘what’s Jim doing this summer? We might need a replacement Anthrax guitarist because our guitarist can’t make the tour.’ Henry said we’re going out and doing our first shows. Henry told me that at the time and I was tripping like ‘what?! I could have had the chance to play with Anthrax! Hey Henry – shouldn’t you have asked me first? – just kidding!”

Wilson also nearly got to share the stage with another idol of his, but due to scheduling conflicts, it ended after a few rehearsals. But the fact he got to audition meant a lot to him.

“Another friend of mine was playing with Dave Davies of the Kinks at the same time. Dave Davies was looking for a bass player and my friend asked if I had a good choice for that. I said of course. I went to audition for Dave Davies and I got the gig, and they were supposed to go out a month before the Rollins shows started. I told Dave that I was playing with Henry, and Dave was a big Henry fan. He was super excited to have me in his band. When I got the call from Dave Davies, saying he had to push the tour back to this time. So I told him I was going out with Rollins, so I didn’t get to tour with Dave Davies but was in the band for a minute. I got to rehearse with him a couple of times and play 35 different Kinks songs.”

By Rei Nishimoto


Gus G Releasing Brand New Revolution On July 24th, Upcoming Tour Dates


gus g

Guitarist Gus G (Ozzy Osbourne, Firewind, etc) is releasing his new solo album Brand New Revolution in the US on July 24, 2015 via Dismanic/eOne Music. The album was produced by Jay Ruston (Anthrax, Stone Sour) and mixed by Mike Fraser (Metallica, AC/DC). Joining Gus in the studio were drummer Jo Nunez (Firewind) and bassist Marty O’Brien (Lita Ford, ex-Methods Of Mayhem, etc).

gus g brand new revolution

01: The Quest
02: Brand New Revolution (feat. Jacob Bunton)
03: Burn (feat. Jacob Bunton)
04: We Are One (feat. Jacob Bunton)
05: What Lies Below (feat. Elize Ryd)
06: Behind Those Eyes (feat. Jacob Bunton)
07: Gone To Stay (feat. Jeff Scott Soto)
08: One More Try (feat. Jacob Bunton)
09: Come Hell Or High Water (feat. Mats Levén)
10: If It Ends Today (feat. Mats Levén)
11: Generation G (feat. Jeff Scott Soto)
12: The Demon Inside (feat. Mats Levén)

gus g greek tour 2015

He has upcoming live dates confirmed which are posted below.

Jun 09: Substage (with Hellyeah)– Karlsruhe (DE)
Jun 10: Logo (with Hellyeah)– Hamburg (DE)
Jun 11: Tivoli De HELLING (with Hellyeah) – Utrecht (NL)
Jul 10: Masters of Rock Festival – Vizovice (CZ)
Jul 12: Naturact Festival – Drama (GR)
Jul 14: Rockin Arta 2015 – Arta (GR)
Jul 18: Chania Rock Festival – Canea (GR)
Jul 22: Ardas Festival – Kastanies (GR)
Jul 24: Colorado Club – Rhodes (GR)
Jul 29: Fezen Festival – Székesfehérvár (HU)
Sep 19: Customer Festival – Alicante (ES)


Motor Sister – Ride


motor sister ride

 

What started as a one-time jam for Scott Ian’s 50th birthday party, Motor Sister is a semi-super-group minus all the hype. Scott wanted a cover band to play his party, and for him to play in; one to play the jams of his favorite LA rock band: Mother Superior. While not a household name, Mother Superior was a good rock band with some kickass songs for the better part of 20 years, and included a stint as Henry Rollins’ backing band. The party came and went, but the experience sat in Ian’s mind and he felt that if they could capture the spontaneity of how the jam came together on a record, it might be something special. Metal Blade agreed, the band recorded with Anthrax house producer Jay Ruston and Motor Sister and Ride were born.

Motor Sister suffers from none of trappings of a lame vanity project, mostly due to Jim Wilson. Jim is not just a songcraft master and strong riffer, he has a voice of gold. He has power and soul, and never over reaches for notes. His voice is also happily absent of the hideous fake growly blues quality so many try out and fail. In addition to Jim chipping in his own harmonies, Scott’s wife Pearl sings back-up on many tracks, adding in her sassy, powerhouse delivery. Their voices work off each other to great effect. The lead track ‘A-Hole’ is feisty like a lost AC/DC or Thin Lizzy song. ‘This Song Reminds Me of You’ starts out with slinky riff and then drops into an old-school vamp. ‘Beg Borrow Steal’, and ‘Fork In the Road’ are pretty badass concoctions too. The terrain stays adventurous too with the epic closer ‘Devil Wind’.

In addition to Ian and Wilson on guitar, the real treat of the album comes from the rhythm section of Joey Vera (Armored Saint, Anthrax) on bass and John Tempesta (Testament, Exodus, White Zombie, The Cult) They are locked in tight every measure. If you love simple, well-written rock music with some occasional heaviness, Motor Sister is right up your dirty back alley.

8.0/10

KEITH CHACHKES